Suggestions (excuse me of they're mentioned already...didn't really read every last word of this thread);
Glory
Bridge on the River Kwai
Das Boot
Band of Brothers
Tuskeegee Airmen
Horatio Hornblower (BBC & Disc or History ch?) not historical, but
Master & Commander
HH and M&C are not historical in the strict sense, but I think would have a message you'd like to convey to the impressionable minds you refer to. Good Luck...maybe something'll rub off!